The discovery of the Iron Mountain Mine in 1888 is marked by both documented accounts and local legend. While official records credit L. T. Jones, popular stories recount that a boy searching for stray cattle stumbled upon rich ore and later led Jones to the site. Jones, together with partners D. R. S. Frazier and Frank Hall, shipped an initial ten tons of ore for assay, which yielded an impressive $1,400. This promising return attracted the attention of James K. Pardee, who soon acquired the property.
